It is known that mycoplasms are bacteria without walls endowed with enzymatic properties (urease for Ureaplasma urealyticum and arginine decarboxylase for Mycoplasma hominis and fermantans).
These enzymatic properties are used for the identification and counting of the strains in the urinogenital samples.
In effect, these micro-organisms are commensal bacteria (present on perfectly healthy individuals' mucous membrane at a rate slightly lower or equal to 10.sup.3 CCU/ml--unit of colour change/ml--). When an infection breaks out or when a mucous membrane is rendered fragile (viral infection, bacteria, hormonal imbalance, etc.), they can proliferate and lead to states of chronic superinfection which can result:
either in tubular sterility; PA1 or in masculine sterility; PA1 or in acute or chronic salpingitis; PA1 or in uretroprostatis syndrome; PA1 or in endocervical dysplasia PA1 known elements necessary for mycoplasm culture of the cholesterol type, yeast extracts, colt serum, PA1 visualization elements of the mycoplasm metabolism of the urea, arginine or glucose type, PA1 a colour indicator (preferably phenol red) and PA1 at least one antibiotic;
(when they superinfect viral infections: Papilloma virus, herpes, CMV, etc.).
In all the cases in question, they are present at a supra-pathological rate higher or equal to 10.sup.4 CCU/ml.
Until now two techniques were used for the counting of urinogenital mycoplasms:
1. The number of colonies per microscopic field were counted on an isolating gelose.
This technique can be compared to that used for the counting of bacteria in urinary infections (Kass).
However, this type of counting has the inconvenience of systematically using a solid gelose, which is expensive, and is not well adapted for the systematic research of urinogenital mycoplasms. Furthermore, the technique necessitates an incubation in an anaerobic jar.
2. A counting based on the dilution in a series of the sample to be analysed in a liquid medium (U.sub.9 for U. urealyticum, M.sub.4 2 for M. hominis) and on the end-point of the appropriate colour indicator of the phenol red type contained in the dilution medium.
However, this technique using the enzymatic properties of urinogenital mycoplasms has several inconveniences:
the urea, in complex liquid medium, is unstable. Because of this its concentration (representing the enzymatic substrate) can vary from one series of tests to another, inducing the risk of a lack of reproductibility;
a reading is not possible until after the colour changes of the indicator have stabilised for at least 24 hours, which involves a minimum response waiting period of 72 hours;
the technique of dilutions in a series is cumbersome and furthermore is marred by a margin of error due to the manipulation;
no commercial kit exists containing all of the necessary reagents as well as other materials.